Bath Beads and Piano Keys
by Indy Croft
Summary: Set after MK:A. Sonya takes a leave of absence to brood the lose of her friend Johnny Cage


DISCLAIMER: I do not own these characters. They Belong to Midway and the movie company that brought them to life. The songs "You Can Still Be Free" and "Gunning Down Romance" were written and sung by Savage Garden. "Everything I Do" belongs to Bryan Adams. Sonya's answering machine message is, in fact, a copy off of MacGyver's. I am making no money off of this, nor do I wish to make money off of this. It is merely from a fan for other fans to enjoy because we have no lives. Or at least I don't. Well, enjoy!  
  
Bath Beads and Piano Keys  
  
3 1/2 weeks after the destruction of Shao Kahn  
  
11:17 PM  
  
The apartment was dark. No movement could be detected inside. Not even a candle burned in the window. The snowstorm outside blew in a swirled mist of white and crystal. Only the wind made a sound, that of the sharp whistle it made as it picked up speed. Then there was a ring that disrupted the winter musical, before a recorded message began.  
  
"Hey, this is Sonya. We all know how these things work, so when you hear the beep, go for it." A click, then a different voice.  
  
"Sonya. It's Jaxx. Listen, if you're home, pick up. Pick up the phone. I need you to get to the office, now. Something's happened, and you need to be here. Please, this is import-" The message faded off when a finger pressed down on the volume button before a figure moved across the room to turn on the radio. A soft tune began to play. It was the song "You Can Still Be Free." Three seconds later, the room was illuminated by a soft glow that came from the bathroom.  
  
In the mirror, Sonya Blade gazed at herself. Her blonde hair was limp and tangled, her eyes were dark, blank. Her face was distraught, and her lips were pale. Slowly she removed her nightgown. It slid off her shoulders into a careless pile on the floor. For a moment she looked herself over. A few more pounds had been shed, which didn't surprise her. She turned away from her frail appearance, closed the bathroom door, then stepped into the steaming water covered by bubbles in her quaint bathtub. The steam wrapped around her and she let herself sink down to her neck.  
  
As much as she tried to drown out her pain, she never could blank Johnny's face out of her mind. The thing about Johnny that bothered her the most was she barely knew him. How could she possibly feel anything for him in that short time on the island? Her emotions were irrational, illogical, impossible to believe. But when did the heart listen to the head? Sonya's hands covered her face as she sighed lethargically.  
  
"When will I be happy? When will things go right for me? When will the pain go away? When will life be fair to me?!" A new song started while her mind drifted to the island yet again, to the few moments they were alone. "He never kissed me..." she whispered. The words from the song rekindled harsh memories that she could not run from, no matter how hard she tried. Too weak to fight back, to weak to care, Sonya let the memories come, let them blaze through the steam into her mind and burn brightly with the guilt, the pain, the loneliness.  
  
Love and other moments are just chemical reactions in your brain  
  
And feelings of aggression are the absence of the love drug in your veins  
  
in your veins  
  
Sonya's cold heart and bitter attitude all came from her partner's death, when she knew she could no longer love someone without putting them in danger. Independence was the only escape.  
  
Love come quickly  
  
Because I feel my self esteem is caving in  
  
It's on the brink  
  
Kano was dead, killed at Sonya's hands, but still no solace could be found for Alex's murder. Nothing could bring him back. And she was beginning to realize that.  
  
Love come quickly  
  
Because I don't think I can keep this monster in  
  
It's in my skin  
  
She tried to be kind to Johnny, but her anger wouldn't let up. Now she was suffering for it. Without Johnny, she had no control to keep the beast of vengeance at bay. She couldn't fight it alone anymore.  
  
Love and other socially acceptable emotions are morphine  
  
They're morphine  
  
Cleverly concealing primal urges often felt but rarely seen  
  
Rarely seen  
  
More tears shed from Sonya's eyes as she thought of her passion for justice, to bring all those who wronged her to their knees. And now what did she have to show for it? Only that deep down she was no better than them.  
  
Love I beg you  
  
Lift me up into that privileged point of view  
  
The world of two  
  
Love don't leave me  
  
Because I console myself that Hallmark cards are true  
  
I really do  
  
The only way Sonya could deal with anger, hatred, and fear was through violence. Through payback. The military was her savior. Now she was it's missionary.  
  
I'm gunning down romance  
  
It never did a thing for me  
  
But heartache and misery  
  
Ain't nothing but a tragedy  
  
Alex, Johnny. Why was Sonya always abandoned by those lucky enough to earn her trust? Was she destined to always be alone?  
  
Love don't leave me  
  
But it was too late.  
  
Take these broken wings  
  
I'm going to take these broken wings  
  
And learn to fly  
  
And learn to fly away  
  
And learn to fly away  
  
I'm gunning down romance...  
  
Sonya's eyes closed while a dream began to dance from her heart....  
  
He slipped into her apartment, moving quietly though the dark to peek into the bathroom, where Sonya lay in the tub. Softly, he opened the door and stepped in. A smile crossed her lips but her eyes remained closed. He moved in and kneeled next to the tub, slowly, so slowly, placing his left hand into the water to gently caress her leg. The sound of her sigh touched him deeply, so he moved his right hand to touch her cheek. His fingers flitted around her chin then traced her lips, his heart melting when she kissed each finger. Sonya shifted in the tub, startling the water, and he caught a flash of flesh that heated his blood beyond words. No longer could he resist his desire, so he leaned over her and gently kissed her slightly parted lips. Sonya gasped softly as she kissed him back. It lasted for several minutes, neither moving away, neither wanting to. All good things do come to an end, though, even if only for a moment. Sonya parted, letting her head fall back against the ring of tub, and he was distressed to realize tears were falling from her still shut eyes. Unsure of what was wrong, he kissed her trailing tears up to her eyes, he kissed each eye in turn, then her forehead, her nose, but more tears came. He stopped and just stared at her beautiful face trapped in pain, and remained silent. Sonya's heart was cracking again, as she remembered that this was only a fantasy, a wish she always prayed would come true and never did. As much as she tried to be happy, her pain was too severe to abandon, and once again it shattered her dreams of him returning to her.  
  
"Johnny..." she whispered brokenly, a sob climbing its way up her throat.  
  
"Yes?" Sonya's eyes flew open and she screamed at the man hovering over her. Taken aback, he tried to stand as Sonya freaked in the tub, but her frantic movements caused water to splash onto the tiled floor and he slipped. With nowhere else to go, Johnny Cage fell face first into the bathe, and on top of Sonya. She continued to scream while she kicked at the man suddenly sharing the too tight bathtub with her.  
  
"GET OUT, GET OFF OF ME YOU FREAK!!!" Johnny listened in shock to Sonya's wild cries and realized she didn't know it was him. He tried to get her attention but only succeeded in taking in a mouth full of water each time he tried to speak. After a few more moments of intense struggling, Sonya was able to get out of the bathtub, seize her towel, and run frantically to her bedroom for her gun. Johnny, now with more room to move, was able to get out also and go after her. Sonya's dripping body left a long wet streak on the wooden floor, withal, and once again Johnny slipped and slid across the floor.  
  
"ACK!" he yelled as he cruised into Sonya's couch, toppled over it, and crashed onto her glass coffee table. He groaned as he rolled onto his knees.  
  
"FREEZE, JACK ASS!" Sonya shouted. Johnny opened his eyes to see her standing a foot away, her gun trained on him, and, to his slight amusement, her towel barely staying about her shivering body. Trying to get out of this situation alive, Johnny put his  
  
hands up in a gesture of defeat.  
  
"Sonya-"  
  
"SHUT UP!"  
  
"Sonya pl-"  
  
"I SAID SHUT IT, OR I'LL BLOW YOUR DAMN HEAD OFF!" Johnny did as she aforementioned, actually getting worried that she would pull the trigger. He bowed his head as he waited. Slowly, Sonya stepped forward, walked around him while watching out for the broken glass, and bent his hands behind his back. In a moment, he was handcuffed and she was dragging him to his feet. "You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law-"  
  
"I love it when you play the dominant one." Sonya paused, as if hesitating.  
  
"Now listen to me, jerk off," Sonya hissed as she spun him to face her. "I don't-" She stopped. Johnny smiled at her.  
  
"Hi Sweets." He watched her face change from anger to shock, and she slowly stepped away from him. As she pressed herself against the wall, her hand flew to the light switch, and the room was illuminated in a burst of pale light.  
  
"Johnny?" she whispered, too terrified to believe. He was wearing the same silk blue shirt and black dress pants as the day he died, but they were soaked. His hair looked longer, and was dripping over his eyes. His beautiful blue eyes that looked right back at her. And his face... his face had suds running down the sides. Sonya laughed at the sight, then sobbed.  
  
"Oh, Sonya, don't cry. Please?"  
  
"You-you're alive." As she spoke the words, the gates around her heart opened and her love for him flooded her senses. The tears poured from her eyes in streams of crystalized salt as she ran forward and jumped him. Her arms flew around his neck and she molded into him, all the while kissing his lips, his cheeks, his neck, nose, eyebrows, forehead, anywhere her lips could reach. Johnny laughed as he tried to breath around her fluttering kisses.  
  
"Son-Sonya...mmph... Hey there, hey sto-stop! That tickles!" Johnny continued to laugh, but could do no more until she calmed down. Her tears mingled with the water still dripping off him and she was able to make some coherent sounds through her crying.  
  
"Johnny, why-why won't you hold me?" He chuckled.  
  
"Because I'm still cuffed." Sonya pulled away and stared in horror at his words.  
  
"Oh, my God! I'm sorry!" Quickly she moved to uncuff him, apologizing profusely the entire time. "I didn't know! I thought it was someone else, oh please forgive me!" Johnny smiled at her, and when he was finally free, Sonya threw the handcuffs to the side and clung to him. Johnny gladly accepted the embrace as he wrapped his arms about her tightly and rocked her soothingly. Sonya said nothing, but she liked it that way. All she wanted was to feel him, to know he was there, to be secure in his arms. Johnny respected this, but after a few moments he realized he should probably let her know about the uncomfortable predicament he was in.  
  
"Sonya?" he whispered into her hair. She made a small mewling noise in response, and he bit his lip slightly in fear. "Sonya, um... are you cold?"  
  
"No, no I'm fine." She sniffled. "Why?"  
  
"You, uh, you dropped your towel." Sonya's eyes flew open when his words registered.  
  
"Shit!" She pulled away, then realized she left herself exposed before him. She yelped and wrapped her arms around him again so he couldn't see her. Alas, this didn't help much because he could still feel her. Johnny couldn't help but laugh.  
  
"Hey! It's not funny!"  
  
"I'm sorry, Angel, but I can't help it. I wanted to surprise you, you know, have everything perfect, and then everything went downhill from there. Now here we are, dripping wet from our game of "hide and seek" in the bathtub," Sonya's laugh cut him off for a second, "Me still in my clothes, and handcuffed at first, and you without your towel."  
  
"Don't let anyone say you can't show a woman a good time." Johnny laughed again, and placed his chin on her shoulder. There he realized she was shivering.  
  
"You ok?" he whispered.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"You need to get dressed, or you'll freeze. I'll close my eyes, you get the towel, and then get dressed in your room. I'll wait out here, ok?"  
  
"Ok," Sonya replied. He kept his eyes closed until he heard a door shut, then looked at the floor, and the remains of Sonya's coffee table.  
  
"Damn," he whispered. "That hurt!" He rubbed his back for a moment. He looked for the kitchen and found a broom and dustpan to sweep up the broken glass and wood. He disposed of the pieces in the garbage, then looked around for something to drink. First, he found the answering machine blinking away. There was on message. He pressed play, heard nothing, and realized the volume was turned down.  
  
"... you need to be here. Please, this is important. Damn, hey! Where are you going? Get back here-." Johnny grinned at Jaxx's heavy sigh. "Ok, Sonya. I didn't want to tell you this over the phone, but Johnny's alive. Don't leave the apartment! He's on his way over, so... just stay there. And please don't be dead." The message cut off and Johnny rolled his eyes at Jaxx's last remark.  
  
"Majors." He redirected his attention on his thirst, and searched Sonya's cabinets for two clean glasses. Surprisingly, he found none. So, he went to the refrigerator in hope of a can of soda. He opened the fridge door and gaped.  
  
"I wish you didn't have to see that." Johnny jumped, and turned to see her standing in a silk bathrobe. A pair of men's clothes were in her hands.  
  
"I think we should talk."  
  
"Not without something to drink. I'll have a Vodka. Help yourself to whatever." Johnny nodded, then reached through the various half empty bottles of bear, whiskey, scotch, tonic, khalua and tequila to the bottle of vodka. He pulled out a black cherry wine cooler for himself. Sonya was sitting on the couch, and for the first time realized something was wrong.  
  
"Where's my table?"  
  
  
  
"So Rayden convinced the Elder Gods that because Shao Khan fought out of the original terms of Mortal Kombat, and broke the sacred code, you could come back." Johnny nodded as he finished off his drink.  
  
"The paperwork was why it took so long. I feel so bad for those clerks up there." Sonya looked at him questioningly. "Nevermind," Johnny chuckled. "Now I'm back, and I'm not leaving." He pulled Sonya closer to him, and she snuggled into his chest, his warm cotton sweatshirt rubbing against her hands. "Most certainly not before you tell me why all you have is alcohol in your fridge."  
  
"Johnny..."  
  
"Don't even try to get around it, Sonya. It's not healthy, and you look ill." Sonya sat up swiftly, glaring.  
  
"What the hell are you talking about?! I look perfectly fine!" Johnny glared back.  
  
"For an anorexic supermodel, yeah!" She slapped him. Johnny inhaled sharply, then touched his burning cheek. Sonya looked away from his intense gaze. "Sonya-"  
  
"I don't want to hear it, Cage. I'm fine, I just got sick a few days ago and have lost some weight. I'll get it back soon." She stood and walked toward the window.  
  
"Yeah, alcohol poisoning can do that to you." Her hands clenched so hard her nails dug into her skin.  
  
"Will you stop it with the smart remarks?! I'm not a drunk!"  
  
"Ididn't say you were! I'm just concerned if you need help!"  
  
"I don't need any help, I'm fine!" she yelled viciously as she spun to face him.  
  
"A month's gone by since you faced you fear of trust, and still you can't admit when you need help! What are you trying to accomplish, Sonya, killing yourself?!" Pain reflected deep in her eyes, and Johnny knew he stuck the wrong cord. Slowly he stood up. "Was it-- did you blame yourself?" Sonya rolled her eyes as she scoffed.  
  
"Oh, don't flatter yourself, Johnny Cage. I think your ego is big enough as is."  
  
"What about yours?" Johnny shot back. Sonya looked at him thriftily.  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"You have more pride in yourself than anyone I've ever met, and it's the only thing holding you back from the truth." Sonya rubbed her forehead.  
  
"Which is?" she asked tiredly.  
  
"You need help." A few moments passed by with only the sounds of their breathing and Toni Braxton's song "Unbreak My Heart" playing on the radio. Then Sonya's head fell to her chest, and she wearily sat down on a nearby chair. Pale, thin hands covered her face.  
  
"I don't need help, Johnny. I need you." About her nose her hands clasped together as if in prayer, and her green eyes searched his, begging them to understand. "Death never bothered me before. Then Alex, my partner and lover, died. But I survived by going after Kano, his killer. Just when I thought things were going all right, I lost you, and I lost myself then and there. I fought back, yes, but only in the single strand of hope that you would come back after we won. But you didn't. I faked being happy, so Lui, Jaxx, and Kitana wouldn't know. When I got home, nothing mattered. I took leave from the Special Forces because I just didn't care." Sonya's voice became choked up with tears, causing Johnny to walk over and kneel before her, resting his hands on her knees for comfort. She hid her eyes behind her hair as she continued.  
  
"So I stayed here, and every night, every single night, I'd draw a bath, pull out a few more bottles of whiskey, or vodka, or khalua, and just watch the stars until I was ready to pass out. I'd slip into the tub and let myself drift away to where ever you were in my heart at that moment. I'd wake up the next morning, freezing of course, but alive. For a while, the pain in my head would block the pain in my soul, but when it went away, you were still gone. And nothing was going to change that. No matter how much I slept, or how many dishes and glasses I broke, or how much I drank, or prayed, or screamed, or cried..." Sonya stopped for a moment, a sob bursting from her lips. "Nothing was going to change."  
  
"But it did, Sonya, and I'm here now." Johnny pushed back a strand of blonde hair behind her ear, and smiled fondly as she looked at him.  
  
"Yes you are, and as long as you stay here, I don't need to turn to anyone else for help." She breathed deeply. "I can stop the drinking, I know I can, but..." Johnny shushed her, then traced her chin.  
  
"Don't worry, angel, whatever you need from me, it's yours." She smiled, but Johnny could sense something hidden in her eyes. A lingering doubt. He frowned.  
  
"I need your honesty." Johnny gazed at her for a moment.  
  
"About what?" he whispered.  
  
"Do you-do you really-I mean-" Johnny cut her off with a kiss that left her head spinning. He pulled away only far enough to speak.  
  
"I love you, Sonya Blade, with everything that makes me real, and if I have to sacrifice my life again to prove it-" Sonya's hands glided around his neck.  
  
"Then don't even consider it, because I'll follow you into hell if that's what it takes to stay by your side." She pulled him to her, and they shared a moment of pure love that most couples rarely find. When Johnny pulled away, it was to lift her up and over to the couch, where they embraced again, then just lay together. Moments later, Sonya was asleep, with the most contented smile on her face that Johnny sent a prayer up to heaven for giving him this second chance.  
  
"I love you," he whispered into her hair, then slowly drifted off into slumber. As his consciousness became black, he could distantly hear a love song playing on Sonya's radio. The soothing notes from the piano blended well with the words as Bryan Adams brought the song to a close.  
  
"You know it's true... everything I do... yeah... I do it for you..."  
  
  
  
The End!! 


End file.
